British War Collection (The Cruel Sea/The Ship That Died of Shame/Went the Day Well?/The Dam Busters/The Colditz Story) (1944)

As someone who was born in Britain and spent his childhood there in the fifties, I remember being taken by my parents to see several of these films when they were released, particularly "The Dam Busters" and "The Colditz Story". So I do appreciate this collection of British World War II films by Anchor Bay, and the memories that came flooding back.

All five films are a crisp black and white, full-screen, mono sound, but--apart from a nice booklet--the DVDs have no extras. As of this writing, Richard (now Lord)Attenborough, Sir Donald Sinden and Richard Todd are still "with us", so their comments would have been fascinating. Some extras--comments on these films and the British war film genre in general--would have been a "nice touch", to say the least.

"The Cruel Sea"--quite simply one of the finest and most realistic films about naval warfare ever made. As the captain of a corvette assigned to protect supply convoys from German U-boats, Jack Hawkins gives one of his best performances--you will not forget the scene where he must decide the fate of some stranded sailors--this is real war, where good people must make heart-breaking decisions. Mr. Hawkins receives fine support from Donald Sinden and Denholm Elliott. A real classic.

"The Dam Busters"--that superb actor, Michael Redgrave, stars as British scientist/engineer/inventor Barnes Wallis, who fought an uphill battle with the British military (and far too much "red tape")with his innovative plan to destroy dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley, and cripple Hitler's industry. After various setbacks, he proves that his "bouncing" bomb does indeed work. That's when Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his squadron of Lancaster bombers become involved, with much intensive training, and ultimately one of the most dangerous missions of the war. "The Dam Busters" is another true classic--and a treat for aviation fans.

"The Colditz Story"--John Mills, Eric Portman, Bryan Forbes and a number of other fine British actors portray prisoners in Germany's infamous Colditz Castle. Their captors tell them that escape is impossible ! Oh really ? John Mills and his compatriots beg to differ ! This film isn't quite a classic, but the performances and situations will still demand your attention--and, again, the film is based a real events.

"The Ship That Died of Shame"--the titular vessel is a small, well-armed speed boat that served with distinction during the war. It is "saved" from mothballs after the war by its old crew, played by Richard Attenborough, George Baker and Bill Owen. However, Mr. Attenborough's intentions for the boat are totally dishonourable--he sees big money in smuggling, and drags his old mates (Messrs. Baker and Owen)into this lucrative, but high-risk business. As time goes by, the "business" becomes even nastier, with the main characters turning on one another and bringing "shame" to their once-proud ship. The film is a fascinating exercise in the study of human greed and immorality.

"Went the Day Well"--here is the "sleeper" in this collection. I had never seen this one--what a movie ! This film has consistent suspense, worthy of Alfred Hitchcock ! It was released in 1943, when the war with Germany was still raging, and there are various scenes and situations which I suppose can be considered propaganda--an attempt to boost the spirits of the British public and remind them how evil the Nazis were (as if this was necessary after the Blitz !). A small English village is visited by British troops on "manouvers"--except they aren't British at all ! They are Nazis who have sneaked into Britain to establish a "beach-head" for a large-scale German invasion. They threaten the villagers with death, and are only too pleased to demonstrate that they mean business ! Even children are threatened (of course, after the war, with the discovery of the concentration camps, nothing in this film can be considered an "exaggeration" ). Leslie Banks stars, with a very nice turn by David Farrar as a particularly reprehensible Nazi. "Went the Day Well" is not the most famous title in this collection--but it just might be the most unforgettable !

Britain produced a lot of World War II films in the fifties. Many of them had a very authentic look and feel about them. This was likely because many of the people involved had experienced "the real thing", with memories and details still fresh in their minds.

I would certainly welcome another collection--"Above Us the Waves"--"The Sea Shall Not Have Them"--"Cockleshell Heroes"--"The Wooden Horse"--"The One That Got Away"--"Reach for the Sky"--"Carve Her Name With Pride"--"The Battle of the River Plate"--"Yangtze Incident"--"Ill Met by Moonlight"--there are many titles that come to mind.

Bottom line--this is a fine collection of movies that show, from a number of viewpoints, how bravely and competently British people coped with the war, and an evil enemy. Rule Britannia indeed !

A very sad footnote, dated 4 December 2009--Mr. Richard Todd has passed away at the grand age of 90. Mr. Todd was one of Britain's most talented and likeable film actors in the post-war years.

Went the Day Well? (1942) is probably the least known of the movies in this collection. It is one of the British war movies made during WWII that were meant to strengthen morale and inspire steadfastness.

The little English village of Bromley End welcomes a large number of Royal Engineers who are to work on a secret project. However, the Royal Engineers in reality are English-speaking German soldiers in British uniforms, parachuted into England to set up a counter radar apparatus which will disrupt England's radar network. Gradually the villagers begin to suspect things aren't right, and then realize what they're dealing with. The Germans cordon off the village, show their true colors and prepare to set up their equipment. The villagers need to break through the cordon to alert authorities and get help. They also decide they must take action themselves to stop the Germans. This is complicated because the village houses a traitor. The climax is the Battle of Bromley End, with British Home Guard troops arriving while the Germans, attacking the manor house where they must set up their stuff, are held off by the men and women of the village.

If you're fond of older British movies you'll recognize some fine actors: Leslie Banks, David Farrar, Thora Hird, Basil Sydney, Mervyn Johns. The film is a well-constructed piece of stirring, patriotic wartime propaganda. The DVD I've seen has a good transfer, especially considering the age of the film.
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The Colditz Story (1955) was one of a number of movies the British made during the Fifties which relived the victories and bravery of their armed services during WWII. Often these movies starred John Mills. The Colditz Story is based on fact. Colditz Castle in Germany was used to imprison the most incorrigible prisoners-of-war, those who persistently made escape attempts. British, French, Polish and Dutch officers were sent there. Unfortunately for the Germans, they wound up trying to keep inside men dedicated to escaping, and who had skills they now could share. The result was that more prisoners of war escaped from Colditz than from any other prisoner of war camp in either the First or Second World Wars.

The movie is based on the memoirs of Pat Reid (John Mills), who served as an escape officer at Colditz and then was one of the first to break out and make it back to England. While the movie is a bit dated, it also is a dramatic and efficient telling of escape attempts, ruses played against the German captors and, of course, of the unfailing courage and good spirits of the British officers.

If you're fond of old British movies, you'll recognize, among others, Eric Portman, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes and Ian Carmichael. The DVD I saw has a picture and audio in very good shape considering the age of the movie.
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The Cruel Sea (1953) is, in my view, one of the best movies yet made dealing with naval warfare in WWII. It's the story of the Compass Rose, newly commissioned in 1940 as a convoy escort, and the officers and men who served on her. Her captain (Jack Hawkins) was fresh from the merchant marine; her new officers had seen almost no sea duty. They learned on the job as they protected convoys in the North Atlantic and then in the run to the Mediterranean.

What makes this movie so good is its matter-of-factness. There are no heroics, just men learning their jobs, doing their duty, with some dieing and some surviving. The scene where Captain Ericson decides to use depth charges to destroy a suspected submarine hiding below a group of struggling survivors from a torpedoed freighter is harrowing. The DVD I saw has a good but by no means first-class image transfer.

As other reviewers have noted, these are excellent movies, worthy to be savored by fans of WWII films or British cinema. Four are genuine classics, and The Dam Busters and The Cruel Sea are masterpieces of documentary-style realism. The Ship That Died of Shame is an odd choice, since most of its action takes place after the war. I'd have preferred something like The Captive Heart or The Way Ahead, but I've grown used to the curveballs that Anchor Bay usually throw into their boxsets. My personal favorite is Went the Day Well?, which is remarkably violent and stylish for a 1940s propoganda picture. And by the way, only three of these films were made at Ealing: Went the Day Well?, The Cruel Sea, and The Ship That Died of Shame. The Dam Busters and The Colditz Story were made by Associated British and Britsh Lion, respectively.

The transfers are excellent. They're clean and crisp, much like the discs in Anchor Bay's earlier Alec Guinness Collection (also recommended). There are occasional scratches and scenes with heavy grain, but nothing distracting. Even Went the Day Well?, the oldest in the set (1942), looks beautiful. I hope Anchor Bay maintains a good relationship with Studio Canal, the company that owns the rights to these and other superb British films, because they make a good team. Studio Canal keeps their film stock in great condition, and Anchor Bay's remastering jobs and transfers are solid.

The real let-down is the lack of extras, especially considering the high price. I'm not the kind of person who demands a commentary on every DVD; I'm more concerned about getting a good transfer. But these are such key films in the history of British cinema that I expected more. There's a nice 6-page booklet of liner notes, but nothing else -- no trailers, no photo galleries, no video introductions. Since Michael Anderson (director of Dam Busters) and Guy Hamilton and John Mills (director and star of Colditz Story) are still with us, I think Anchor Bay passed up a wonderful opportunity to provide some important extras, in the form of commentaries or audio/video interviews. It's a real shame, but it doesn't diminish the power or entertainment value of the movies.

The box set is packaged just like Anchor Bay's Werner Herzog collections. There are five DVDs, and each is contained in its own thin-case. The thin-cases are held in a folder that slides out of a very handsome -- and sturdy -- box. The box itself is about the size of three regular DVD cases.

Please note that the DVDs do indeed contain the UNCUT versions of these film. That means that this print of The Dam Busters contains the original name of Richard Todd's pet dog. (The dog's name is a racist slur that was changed to "Trigger" in earlier U.S. releases -- though it should be noted that the original word has always carried less ugly connotations in the UK than in the States.) People sensitive to racist elements in older films should be aware of this, but kudos to Anchor Bay for not censoring or sugar-coating its presence!